Butt, Asif found guilty

In a development that is likely to have ramifications for far and long for cricket, the jury that heard the spot-fixing trial on Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif has found the duo guilty. The now defunct News of the World tabloid had carried out the sting that implicated Asif, Butt and Mohammad Aamer a little over a year ago. 

Salman Butt was found guilty of cheating and of accepting money and Mohammad Asif has been found guilty of conspiracy to cheat. Butt faces a possible 7 years in prison after the verdict. The sentencing for both Butt and Asif is expected on Thursday, 3rd November 2011. 

The decision is a landmark one in many ways, not least because this is the first time that cricketers have been convicted by a court of law for on-field corruption. The jury didn't return an unanimous verdict on all counts, but reached a majority one in most counts after deliberating for 16 hours. According to television reports, the jury was also of the opinion that 'Salman Butt had lied throughout the trial'. 

Butt and Asif sat stone-faced throughout the verdict, but appeared shaken when leaving the court-room. Butt was found guilty by a majority of 10-2 on the count of accepting corrupt payments. Both Butt and Asif were found guilty of a conspiracy to cheat by unanimous margins. The jury had not yet reached a verdict against Asif on the count of conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, and was expected to deliberate further. 

In an ironical twist, the verdict was reached on the day that Salman Butt was to become a father for the second time and was waiting for his wife to give birth to a baby boy. Butt already has a 3 year old son. 
via-- Cricbuzz

Butt, Asif found guilty

In a development that is likely to have ramifications for far and long for cricket, the jury that heard the spot-fixing trial on Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif has found the duo guilty. The now defunct News of the World tabloid had carried out the sting that implicated Asif, Butt and Mohammad Aamer a little over a year ago. 

Salman Butt was found guilty of cheating and of accepting money and Mohammad Asif has been found guilty of conspiracy to cheat. Butt faces a possible 7 years in prison after the verdict. The sentencing for both Butt and Asif is expected on Thursday, 3rd November 2011. 

The decision is a landmark one in many ways, not least because this is the first time that cricketers have been convicted by a court of law for on-field corruption. The jury didn't return an unanimous verdict on all counts, but reached a majority one in most counts after deliberating for 16 hours. According to television reports, the jury was also of the opinion that 'Salman Butt had lied throughout the trial'. 

Butt and Asif sat stone-faced throughout the verdict, but appeared shaken when leaving the court-room. Butt was found guilty by a majority of 10-2 on the count of accepting corrupt payments. Both Butt and Asif were found guilty of a conspiracy to cheat by unanimous margins. The jury had not yet reached a verdict against Asif on the count of conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, and was expected to deliberate further. 

In an ironical twist, the verdict was reached on the day that Salman Butt was to become a father for the second time and was waiting for his wife to give birth to a baby boy. Butt already has a 3 year old son. 
via-- Cricbuzz

END TO A CONTROVERSIAL RULE!!

On 6 October 2008 President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed Butt as chairman of the PCB. He has been involved in several controversies during his career, presiding over Pakistan during a time when security concerns—including a shooting incident involving the Sri Lankan tour bus—stripped the country of several international fixtures. He has made several attacks on current and former PCB officials and the Senate of Pakistan, and was involved in match-fixing allegations during a tour of England in 2010.

His accusations of similar match fixing by the England team, though later retracted, let to speculation about his future with the PCB.

But beside all this Pakistan also won a T20 world cup in june 2009 beating Sir-Lanka in the final by 8 wickets.

Now he is going to resign due to personal reasons. The source to this news is Geo news. The new chairman will be announced on this Friday.

Lets hope the new chairman could improve the pathetic situation of Pakistan Cricket.

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Pakistan players on trial for alleged 'spot-fixing'

At the time of the alleged offences, Butt was captain of Pakistan's Test side and had won plaudits for his leadership of the team.

Asif was the team's senior pace bowler, while teenage left-arm swing bowler Aamer was regarded as one of the hottest properties in world cricket.

The allegations stem from a probe by Mazher Mahmood, former undercover reporter for the News of the World, known in Britain as the "fake sheikh" for wearing Arab dress during investigations.

Prior knowledge of when no-balls will occur could be exploited in what is known as 'spot-betting', hugely popular in South Asia, whereby gamblers bet on various possible incidents in a match rather than the final outcome.

Cricket is potentially extremely vulnerable to 'spot-fixing'. Betting can be planned around specific incidents without the need to manipulate the final result of the match.

The most infamous recent case of proven fixing in cricket came a decade ago when former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje was revealed to have accepted money from bookmakers in a bid to influence the course of games as well as trying to corrupt his team-mates.

Cronje died in a mysterious plane crash in 2002.

Two Pakistan Test players went on trial in London on Tuesday charged with spot-fixing during a match against England last year, allegations which rocked the world of cricket.

Former captain Salman Butt, 26, and star bowler Mohammad Asif, 28, appeared at Southwark Crown Court charged with conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, and with conspiracy to cheat.

The charges relate to allegations of deliberately bowling no-balls during England's fourth Test against Pakistan at Lord's cricket ground in London in August 2010.

The allegations were made in the Rupert Murdoch-owned News of the World tabloid, which was closed down in July this year when it became engulfed in the phone hacking scandal.

The pair deny the charges. The offences carry maximum sentences of seven years and two years in prison respectively.

Potential jurors in the trial were asked on Tuesday whether they or their families worked in the gambling industry or earned money from professional cricket or have ever been employed in journalism.

Judge Jeremy Cooke then swore in a jury of seven men and five women for the case, which he said could last up to five weeks, before adjourning the case until Wednesday.

Butt stood in the dock wearing a grey pinstripe suit and white open-necked shirt while the taller Asif wore a black suit with a white shirt. Asif listened to the proceedings through an Urdu interpreter.

Two other people -- talented 19-year-old bowler Mohammad Aamer and the three players' agent Mazhar Majeed -- have also been charged with the same offences.

Sialkot Stallions win title for 6th time.

Karachi—Sialkot Stallions became the twenty20 champions for the sixth time when they defeated Rawalpindi Rams by ten runs after an interesting contest in the final of the Faysal Bank National Twenty20 Cup 2011 here at the National Stadium on Sunday.

Chasing 181 runs, Rawalpindi Rams were looking set for win when they needed 19 runs from 12 balls with five wickets in hand but the Stallions captured three more wickets giving away only eight runs. For the Rams, only opener Naved Malik played a brave innings of 67 runs off 47 balls, hitting three sixes and six fours. The second highest scorer was his opening partner Awais Zia (32) whereas no other batsman could make more than 14 runs. For the Stallions, spinners Raza Hasan and Abdur Rehman got two wickets each for eleven and 27 runs, respectively. Earlier, Sialkot Stallions piled up 180-6 in the allotted 20 overs after their captain Shoaib Malik won the toss and decided to bat.

The main scorers of the Stallions were Qaiser Abbas (44), Shoaib Malik (43), Shakeel Abbas (39) and Shahid Yousuf (32). Off-break bowler Awais Zia claimed two wickets for 17 runs for the Rams. Naved Malik was declared Man of the Match for his outstanding batting performance. Governor Sindh Dr. Ishratul Ebad was the chief guest at the prize distribution ceremony at the close of the tournament. Famous Tennis Star and wife of Shoaib Malik Sania Mirza who witnessed the final was also present at the prize distribution ceremony. On the occasion, Captain of the winning team Shoaib Malik announced a donation of half a million rupees on behalf of his team for the flood victims of Sindh province.

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Pakistan banker Ali Reza likely to succeed Ijaz Butt as PCB chairman

Pakistan’s top banker Ali Reza reportedly emerged as a possible candidate to take over as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman following speculations that Ijaz Butt might not get a contract extension.
“Yes there is some substance to these rumours, but nothing is decided as yet and the President has yet to take a decision on this issue. But Ali Reza’s name is being considered for the top cricket post,” a source told the Nation.
“Everything will be clear by next week because by that time it will be known who will represent Pakistan at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Executive Board meeting on October 8 and 9th,” the source added.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, patron of the PCB, had appointed Butt as the chairman in October 2008.
He has been involved in several controversies during his tenure, presiding over Pakistan during a time when security concerns—including a shooting incident involving the Sri Lankan tour bus—stripped the country of several international fixtures.

Misbah's eyes top four spot for pak!!

KARACHI: Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq on Thursday said he has targeted a top four Test spot for his side with an eye on qualification for the inaugural World Test Championship in 2013.

The four top teams in the ICC (International Cricket Council) standings in mid-January 2013 will progress to the first World Test Championships scheduled to be played in England later that year.

"We can come in the top four to feature in the Test championship and that's one of the aims in our next three important series," said Misbah, appointed captain for all three formats of the game last month.

Misbah led Pakistan to a clean-sweep over Zimbabwe earlier this month, winning the one-off Test, all three one-days and both the Twenty20 internationals.

His team now plays Sri Lanka over three Tests, five one-days and a Twenty20, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next month because of security fears in Pakistan.

Pakistan currently lie sixth in the ICC Test rankings and need to win against fifth-placed Sri Lanka and their next two series - against world number one England and Bangladesh, who are ranked ninth.

They tour Bangladesh in December for a two-Test series and play England in three Tests, four one-day and three Twenty20 in UAE in January-February next year.

Misbah said the confidence gained on the Zimbabwe tour will help his team.

"We have done well in our two tough series before the Zimbabwe tour and did well against South Africa and New Zealand, so the confidence level is high and this morale will help us in future series," said Misbah.

Misbah said using new bowlers on the Zimbabwe tour had paid-off providing the team with greater attacking depth and back-up in case of injury.

But he said outgoing coach Waqar Younis will be missed.

"As captain you develop an understanding with the coach and Waqar was very supportive to me and to the team, so we now have to rebuild that understanding with the new coach," Misbah added.

Pakistan is searching for a new coach after Waqar left the post at the end of the Zimbabwe tour, citing health problems.

A three-member committee will meet in Karachi later Thursday to discuss around 40 applicants for the post from around the world, and will also talk with other prominent foreign coaches.

The process to agree a final candidate will take about a month and Pakistan is likely to play the Sri Lanka series under a temporary coach.

Lahore High Court orders Pak IT Ministry to ban Facebook for 'spreading religious hatred'

Lahore, Sept 20 : The Lahore High Court has ordered Pakistan's Information Technology Ministry to block access to all websites spreading religious hatred, including popular social networking site Facebook

The court, however, made it clear that no search engine, including Google, would be blocked.

The court also directed the ministry to submit a compliance report in this regard by October 6.

The court issued the order after hearing a petition seeking a permanent ban on Facebook for allegedly hosting a blasphemous caricature-drawing contest, Pakistan Today reports.

The petitioner pointed out that Islamic values were being derogated in the name of information, hurting the feelings of billions of Muslims.

He also said that despite court orders, the Information Technology did not block websites spreading religious hatred.

The petitioner requested that Facebook and all other websites airing, placing or visualising obscene caricatures of Prophet Muhammad, be permanently blocked or banned in Pakistan.

Akhtar book launch cancelled

The scheduled release of Shoiab Akhtar's controversial book here tomorrow has suddenly been cancelled without any reason being given.

Former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar was to release Akhtar's autobiography 'Controversially Yours' at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) premises.

"The event has been cancelled," confirmed a CCI official, without assigning any reason.

According to sources, the event was cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.

The sudden cancellation generated speculation that it may be because of the less than flattering remarks about India's batting stalwarts Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.

In his tell-all autobiography, Akhtar has made many controversial claims including one where he says that the Indian batsman Tendulkar did not have the ability to finish matches in the initial stages of his career.

Meanwhile, a protest was held in suburban Dahisar today against Akhtar, for his comments on Tendulkar. Protesters carried Akthar's posters on donkey-backs.

On Monday, Akhtar is scheduled to attend another function to promote his book in the city.

Shoaib Akhtar reveals all in his autobiography 'Controversially Yours'

KARACHI: Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has said that Pakistani pacer Wasim Akram affected his career and Shahrukh Khan manipulated him.

Revealing all in an interview on Aaj TV on Friday about his autobiography "Controversially Yours" the former fast bowler said that Wasim Akhtar was responsible for destroying his career.

Talking about the Indian actor Shahrukh Khan, Shoaib Akhtar said that although there was a problem regarding the amount offered and his inclusion in the team, adding that Shahrukh Khan also looked after him. However, he said that he was not comfortable with former IPL Chairman Lalit Modi.

About the cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar he said Rahul Dravid is a better player and that "they are not match-winners". When asked the pacer said, “Bowling Sachin out was a great feeling,” adding “But everyone loves Sachin be it Australians or any person in the cricketing world.”

In his autobiography Akhtar reveals a childhood that was deprived of good clothes and basic things. "On Eid we would wear old clothes res-stitched," adding "My family brought me up with a sense of pride."

After reaching adolescence his dream was to break into cricket. Although flat-footed he broke the 100 MPH barrier, earning the nick name the "Rawalpindi Express". Born on August 13, 1975, in Rawalpindi, right hand fast bowler, Akhtar holds the record for the fastest delivery with 161.3 km/h (100.2 mph).

In the interview the Rawalpindi Express also admitted to ball tampering and said that Sachin Tendulkar "walked away" during the Faisalabad Test but added "who is not scared of being bowled at. Be it Ricky Ponting or even myself."

Admitting to ball tampering the former pacer said, "It should be legalised." Shoaib Akhtar retired from cricket after the 2011 World Cup. His cricketing career began in the 1990s. Controversies have been a part of his professional life.

He was sent home in 2005 during the Test series in Australia for his unprofessional attitude and in 2006, he was involved in a doping scandal after testing positive for stimulants.

In September 2007, he was banned for picking a fight with teammate Muhammad Asif. He was banned for five years the next year for criticising the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The ban was suspended by the Lahore High Court (LHC) in 2008.

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Waseem Akram tried to ruin my career: Shoaib Akhtar

KARACHI: Shoaib Akhtar in his autobiography ‘Controversially Yours’ has accused Waseem Akram of trying to ruin his career, Geo News reported Friday. The former Pakistani fast bowler said that he was supported by Tauqeer Zia during that time.

According to the autobiography, Waseem Akran had threatened to separate half the team if Akhtar was included. Akhtar also admitted to ball tampering and advised that this should be allowed in cricket.

On Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, the autobiography stated the Indian batsmen were not match winners. Akhtar delscribed his experience in the IPL as unpleasant and was critical of both Lalit Modi and Shahrukh Khan.

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T20 World Cup 2012

T20 World Cup 2012 will begin on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 in Sri Lanka as per cricket schedule announced. ICC World Twenty20 2012 is an international tournament to be organized by Sri Lanka. T20 World Cup 2012 will consist of 27 Twenty20 matches to be hosted by Sri Lanka in Sep-Oct 2012. The T20 World Cup 2012 tournament is a part of Future Tour Programs prepared by International Cricket Council (ICC). Sri Lanka will host this tournament, beginning on September 18, 2012. In T20 World Cup 2012 bilateral series, first T20 match would be between Sri Lanka-Zimbabwe on Sep 18, 2012 at 19:30 local time to be played at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota.

Twenty20 Cricket has never failed to enthrall and captivate the minds of cricketing viewers and spectators round the globe. Since its early days, T20 Cricket came under constant criticism. But with the unprecedented success of the inaugural edition of the International Twenty20 World Cup, all questions over the longevity of the shortest format of Cricket was put to rest once and for all. To globalize T20 Cricket throughout the globe, the International Cricket Council decided to host T20 World Cups every 2 years. The year 2012 will see the next edition of the World T20, to be played in the Asian country of Sri Lanka.

The Twenty20 World Cup 2012 is the 4th edition of the T20 World Cup. This international T20 cricketing event will be hosted by the island country of Sri Lanka. In fact, this is the first time that this grand tournament will be hosted by an Asian country. Although the official dates have not been announced by the ICC, the championship will start from early September 2012 and continue up to the last week of the same month. Just like all other cricket tournaments and series, the ICC World T20 Championship is a part of the innovative Future Tour Programs (FTP).

The ICC will release the official cricket fixture of the World T20 to the public and the media very soon, as assured by the officials at ICC. This year, the number of qualifying teams has been raised from 12 to 16. This implies, the minnows and the associate countries stand a chance to compete against the big teams and gain experience. For that, a qualifying round will be held in the first quarter of 2012. The first game of the ICC T20 World Championship 2012 will be underway from Monday, September 12, 2012.

The matches will be held in Galle, Kandy and Colombo. The finals, though, will be held at the legendary R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. It is one of the magnificent cricketing venues of the modern age. In the distant past, it has been witness to great cricketing spectacles, including quarter finals and semi finals of Cricket World Cup 2011 and 1996. Also, it would be interesting to see whether an Asian country will host the cup, or will it be a new name to lift up the coveted T20 World Championship crown. It’s just a matter of time, before the winner is exposed to the cricketing fraternity.

Groups
Group A – England, India, Qualifier 2
Group B – Australia, West Indies, Qualifier 1
Group C – Sri Lanka, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Group D – Pakistan, New Zealand, Bangladesh

Super Eight (S8) Groups
Group 1 – A1, B2, C1, D2
Group 2 – A2, B1, C2, D1

T20 Championship in Pakistan.

After the attack on Sir-lankan team back in 2009 the international cricket has disappeared from Pakistan.

This caused a huge damage to Pakistan Cricket, people of Pakistan lost their intreast from cricket. To solve this problem PCB decided to host their own cricket tournaments so people could get good cricket to watch and ticket to watch these match is FREE!!

This years T20 tournament is going to be played on 25 sep 2011 to 2 oct in national stadium Karachi, where 14 Teams will play. These teams are divided in 4 groups.

We hope this tournament will go peacfully and nicely so this could bring International cricket back in Pakistan.

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Pakistan moves Twenty20 over dengue outbreak

Pakistan cricket authorities were Wednesday forced to shift the national Twenty20 tournament to Karachi after an outbreak of dengue fever in Lahore, the tournament's original venue.

President Asif Zardari, who is also the patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said the tournament should also be used as a fund-raising event for the flood victims in the southwestern Sindh province.

"As desired by the president of Pakistan, the venue of the tournament has been shifted from Lahore to Karachi," a PCB statement said.

The dengue fever outbreak in Lahore, which has so far claimed several lives, prompted concerns among various teams, including Afghanistan, which is also competing.

And PCB director general Javed Miandad said the decision would help players take to the field without worry.

"There was a suggestion that because of the dengue virus we should transfer the event from Lahore and after president's directives we took this decision," Miandad told reporters.

He added that the tournament will help raise funds for millions of displaced flood victims in Sindh.

International cricket has been suspended in Pakistan since the March 2009 terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, after which foreign teams refused to tour the troubled country.

Deprived of international cricket, fans in Pakistan take a keen interest in domestic Twenty20 events, filling the stadiums to capacity.

Afridi wants to make a comeback !!

Pakistan cricket team former captian Shahid khan Afridi who has announced retirement because of some issues with coach and with few othere people.

Then he announced retirement and said he will not take his retirement back untill there will be change in administration. As now are coach Waqar younis has resign so now there is a chance that Afridi will make a comeback.

Afridi gave a statement that "my heart cries to play for pakistan and im dying to represent my country" this show that Afridi desperatly want to come back in Pakistan cricket team.

There was also a news that PCB chairmen Ijaz butt will also resing in this october due to personal reasons. This show that Afridi will definatly comeback in national team of Pakistan.

Now we can hope that Afridi will play in Pakistan- Sirlanka series 2011 which is going to be play in next month.

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Amir pleads guilty in spot-fixing case - @pakcric96

Karachi: After maintaining innocence for more than a year, banned Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir on Friday confessed his involvement in a match-fixing scandal that rocked the cricket world last year.
According to sources, the young fast bowler submitted his written confession during a hearing at the Southwark Crown Court in London.


Amir, 19, was one of the three leading Pakistani cricketers who were banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after being found guilty of spot-fixing during Pakistan’s fourth Test against England at Lord’s in 2010.
However, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif — the other two players involved in the spot-fixing scandal — maintain their silence over the issue.
According to reports, bookie Mazhar Majeed has also submitted his written confession at the London court.
Mazhar, who claims to be a player agent, was at the centre of the controversy which was triggered after a British tabloid carried out a sting operation during Pakistan’s tour of England last year.
News of the World, the British tabloid which is now closed, revealed in its sensational story that Asif and Amir bowled deliberate no-balls during the Lord's Test on the instructions of bookies. The International Cricket Council had banned Amir from all forms of cricket for a period of five years.

We will miss Waqar: Misbah

Lauding Waqar Younis for playing a key role in helping the Pakistan cricket team deal with difficult times, captain Misbah-ul Haq said the outgoing cricket coach would be missed badly by the side.

"Waqar has done a good job with the team and played an essential role in this transitional and difficult period for Pakistan cricket. Obviously the team will feel his absence and there will be a void in the side," Misbah told reporters here.

Misbah said the resignation of Waqar was a surprise for the team.

"He has played a big role in easing the new players into the team. Whoever replaces him will have a good precedent to work with," he said.

Waqar shocked the Pakistan cricket community on Saturday by announcing his resignation because of personal reasons and on health grounds.

The former Test captain, who has coached the team since last year, said he would not be available after the Zimbabwe tour.

As expected, the sudden resignation by Waqar led to lot of speculation about the reasons behind his leaving the team. So much so that the Pakistan Cricket Board was on Sunday compelled to issue a press release dismissing reports about differences between Waqar and the board or selectors as baseless.

"Pakistan Cricket Board considers it appropriate to rebutt reports in certain media suggesting that resignation of Waqar Younis is due to some differences with PCB officials or selection committee," the release said.

Subhan Ahmad, PCB's chief operating officer, said Waqar contacted the board a few days back and requested to be relieved from national duty for personal reasons including his health.

"Although it was a tough decision for the board to make yet we understand his position. His services for Pakistan both as a player and as the coach are enormous. We wanted him to continue with the rebuilding of the team but then he has to leave. Everyone should respect his personal priorities. PCB wishes him all the best in his future endeavors," Subhan said.

The release also included a brief statement from Waqar which read, "It is unfortunate that these stories appeared despite the fact that I presented myself to the media and talked in detail on the reasons for my resignation.

"Working with the Pakistan team is an honour and I enjoyed being part of it. I have my personal reasons to resign and all the stories about my differences with anyone are absolutely incorrect.

"When you work as a team there can be a difference of opinion but that happens anywhere. I want to reiterate again that my resignation is purely on personal grounds and all other suggestions are totally unfounded. I thank the PCB for their support and understanding. I will be available again to serve Paksitan as soon as I settle my personal problems," Waqar said.